Can Repairs Be Made to Cracks in the Plastic on John Deere Lawn Tractors?

Plastic may be one of the most versatile building components, but it is still susceptible to wear and tear that can force cracks. All plastic repairs are fixed in a similar fashion, so no matter if you are working on the plastic hood or bumper of a John Deere lawn tractor, a bicycle fender or the rear bumper of a car, you can use the same methods.

Preparing the Area

The first thing you need to do before you can patch the cracked plastic on your John Deere lawn tractor is prepare the area for a patch. You need to sand down the plastic on either side of the crack so that you go past the paint layer down to the plastic beneath first, and then afterward the area needs to be cleaned with rubbing alcohol or some other type of disinfectant to clean the debris. After it has dried, you can patch.

Patching the Crack

Once you are ready to patch the crack you have a variety of choices. There are numerous materials sold in home improvement stores and convenience stores across the world that are manufactured to repair such cracks. You can use something as simple as super glue, or you can use an epoxy compound, a polyurethane compound or any type of plastic crack patch kit that is designed to repair cracked plastic. The type isn’t important, as plastic on a John Deere lawn tractor is the same as any other hard plastic.

Drying Time

It is important that you allow sufficient drying time before you use your tractor, as the vibration of the motor plus the movement of the tractor on the ground will cause the crack simply to reappear if the compound hasn’t dried. The drying time depends on the type of patch compound you purchased, and you should always refer to the manufacturer’s instructions for proper length of time for drying. For best results, always go with the largest amount of time recommended by the manufacturer.

Repainting the Crack

If you don’t want the patched area to be visible, you will want to repaint it. You need to sand the patched area down to make it smooth again, but after that you can cover it with a coat of paint. John Deere green is an eponymous color of paint that can be purchased at any home improvement store or John Deere shop, and you can cover the patched area with a fresh coat of paint to keep your tractor looking like it was just rolled off the factory floor.